CHAPTER 8implementation support

outline

Programming tools for interactive systems provide a means of effectively
translating abstract designs and usability principles into an executable form.
These tools provide different levels of services for the programmer.

Windowing systems are a central environment for both the programmer and
user of an interactive system, allowing a single workstation to support separate
user-system threads of action simultaneously.

Interaction toolkits abstract away from the physical separation of input
and output devices, allowing the programmer to describe behaviors of objects
at a level similar to how the user perceives them.

User interface management systems are the final level of programming support
tools, allowing the designer and programmer to control the relationship between
the presentation objects of a toolkit with their functional semantics in the
actual application.